The museum is launching its revamped welcome center and 12 new tour guides, who will provide more structured and educational tours than have been available in the past.

Newly painted walls feature murals and enlarged historical photographs that take guests through the 1829 construction of the Lehigh Canal, which runs alongside the museum at 2750 Hugh Moore Park off Lehigh Drive. The nonprofit museum moved to Hugh Moore Park in 2012 after 15 years in Centre Square.

In addition to the veritable mule-drawn canal boat ride, the museum features 14 exhibits, many of which are interactive, that detail canal life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors can operate pulleys, levers and other simple machines used by workers of the canal system.

Dennis Scholl, director of education and museum services for the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, developed the tours to provide a more realistically interpretive take on history.

"It's fun to read about but when you get to Hugh Moore Park and see everything in action, that is when it really sinks in," Scholl said during a preview tour Tuesday.

The museum offers 45-minute rides up and down the Lehigh Canal on its mule-drawn canal boat, the Josiah White II. Two mules, Hank and George, pull the boat led by 18-year mule team veteran Sue Francisco. She lets kids pet the mules when the ride is over.

As you ride along, a guide will explain the significance of the canal and its main cargo, anthracite coal. Francisco said she feels it is important for people to appreciate the history of the canal, especially children.

"When we went to school, no one ever mentioned the canal," Francisco said. "We are telling them about something quite unique here. It's more than a big ditch."

To celebrate the start of the summer season, there will be a free canal boat ride at noon Saturday. The boat has two decks and can carry up to 125 passengers.

"We hope people leave here with a much better understanding of the canal's importance to the region," said Scholl.

***

LEARN MORE

The National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park in Easton, is open 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through August and weekends only in September.

Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for children 4 years and up, and includes the National Canal Museum and a ride on the Josiah White II canal boat.